Conference come-down

The reason you haven’t heard from me in a while is because I’ve been attending back-to-back writers conferences.  The good part about that is that I got a chance to meet lots of my readers, sign books, chat with colleagues, attend great workshops, give a really fun workshop of my own, and eat way too much.  The bad part about that is that I barely wrote a word, missed staying in touch with all of you, ate WAY too much, slept way too little, and totally overtaxed my mind and body.  And, as usual, I’m paying the piper.  I’m sick.

You have no idea how frustrating it is to be feverishly sick when you’re a writer.  The computer screen looks like an alien being, the keyboard looks like gibberish, and my brain is incapable of stringing two thoughts together, much less come up with exciting elements of suspense for my characters to conquer.  The advice is always the same: get plenty of rest, drink lots of fluids, and take your antibiotics.  Great.  In the meantime, my storyline hammers at the back of my head, furious at me for restraining it, and that, combined with my “sick symptoms” prevent me from getting any rest at all.

The best news is that there’s light at the end of my tunnel.  Today, my brain actually woke up with a shred of clarity.  So I’ll be jumping right back into my writing, for however many hours I can muster.  But I had to touch base with all of you first, because it’s been way too long.  Just know that I’m back, I’m on the mend, and I’m busily writing the next Forensic Instincts book!  No hints about it yet, but I LOVE having Casey and the team back in my mind and on my computer screen.

The moral of the story?  Conferences are great, but (to quote Dorothy Gale from Kansas) “there no place like home!”